Virginia Thomas appears at Jan. 6 panel interview

SHOTLIST:RESTRICTION SUMMARY:ASSOCIATED PRESSWashington - 29 September 20221. Virginia "Ginni" Thomas walks in hallway HEADLINE: Virginia Thomas appears at Jan. 6 panel interviewANNOTATION: One of the last expected interviews for the Jan. 6 House panel investigation is with Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. ANNOTATION: The conservative activist, known as Ginni, appeared for a voluntary interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.ANNOTATION: She texted with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin after the election. US NETWORK POOL Washington - 29 September 20222. Thomas declines to answer questions from media as she arrives for a voluntary interview with the House panel investigating the Jan 6. insurrectionANNOTATION: Thomas, a Trump supporter active in conservative causes, insists her political activities pose no conflict of interest with the work of her husband.ANNOTATION: Thomas' lawyer says she plans to "clear up any misconception about her work relating to the 2020 election." STORYLINE:Conservative activist Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has appeared for a voluntary interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. The committee has for months sought an interview with Thomas in an effort to know more about her role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn his election defeat. She texted with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin after the election. The testimony from Thomas — known as Ginni — was one of the remaining items for the panel as it eyes the completion of its work. The panel has already interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses and shown some of that video testimony in its eight hearings over the summer. Thomas' attorney, Mark Paoletta, said last week that Thomas had agreed to meet with the panel and is "eager to answer the committee's questions to clear up any misconceptions about her work relating to the 2020 election." The extent of her involvement in the Capitol attack is unclear. In the days after The Associated Press and other news organizations called the presidential election for Biden, Thomas emailed two lawmakers in Arizona to urge them to choose "a clean slate of Electors" and "stand strong in the face of political and media pressure." The AP obtained the emails earlier this year under the state's open records law.She has said in interviews that she attended the initial pro-Trump rally the morning of Jan. 6 but left before Trump spoke and the crowds headed for the Capitol. ===========================================================Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com(ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory.